Rare Footage of Original “Star Trek: Phase II” Pilot from 1977 — Plus Brief General “Trek” TV and Film History

A Television Retro-Spective

In 1965, NBC commissions the first Star Trek TV pilot episode, titled, “The Cage,” starring Jeffrey Hunter, who played Jesus in King of Kings, as Captain Pike, and Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock. But it’s deemed too cerebral and doesn’t sell.